Skip Young was a high school star in the basketball-rich state of Ohio who, despite being heavily recruited by nearby Ohio State, signed with FSU and faced the challenges of being effectively the first starting varsity African-American athlete at FSU and one of the first in the Deep South at a predominantly white university.

Young helped lead the Seminoles to an 18-8 record in his first season as point guard in 1968–1969. He helped lead Florida State to its most successful season in school history as a junior playing with future FSU and NBA Hall-of-Famer Dave Cowens on the Seminoles’ 1970 team that finished 23-3. During his three-year career, the Seminoles had an overall record of 58-20 and he became the school’s all-time assist leader.

Young was drafted in the seventh round of the 1970 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics.